Secrets Unfold
by Victoris Faye Kiss
Summary: A young woman has discovered she has the power to read people out of books. She's summoned to live in a place that held people like her in a light of acceptance. One day she and her dog are attacked and she learns something new. Rated for later chapters.


Things were quiet around them as they walked, Zeyla's ears were peeled for any foreign sounds. Her body was tense. What had started out as a friendly easy walk in the woods had suddenly turned dark and gruesome. Something was nearby and she could feel it. Her hands clenched the cane in her hand. She had finally bought one after two years of blindness. She walked slowly, stiffly. Her hands were chilled and so were her arms. A cool breeze swept past her, ruffling back her hair and the putrid scent of death reached her nose. Her nostrils flared and her eyes widened.

Numair walked beside her, stiff legged and uneasy, his fur was bristling. For three weeks they'd been there and he had come to realize more and more that he was losing sight of who he was, and soon his fears were confirmed. He was trapped in that body, having held the form too long. A week previous, he had become only aware of where he was, what he was, and who he was with. She was always with him, he always with her.

From what he could tell now, something was threatening that. He smelled the same thing she had and growled softly. "Numair?" he heard the young woman beside him. He didn't see anything yet so he nudged her gently for reassurance. "Take us home.." she told him softly. As he nudged her around to face the direction home another gust of air hit them. It was strong and Numair ducked, only to have Zeyla fall atop him. "Ow… Numair… are you alright?" she asked him softly and he grunted an affirmative, helping her stand.

Suddenly from the forest came the sound of hooves thudding. Zeyla heard them and she turned her hands twisting the top of her cane until she heard a click, then she pulled the handle from the stick and pulled out a long blade. She merged her mind with Numair's and gazed through his eyes. Suddenly, bursting forth from the forest came a creature of the likes she had never expected to face.

It's long furry body was at least 18 hands high, the hooves each the size of her head. She gasped but did not scream. The feral part of the creature's body was covered in a gorgeous shining white fur. From the join where two bodies met and up was dark tanned flesh and muscle. The body of a healthy, thirty year old man. His face was rugged, and would have been handsome were it not for the cold and empty stare in the glaze of his eyes. "Oh...my…god…" she took a step back unsteadily. "Not quite. I might be immortal, but I'm no god." the centaur responded, sneering.

This creature had been sent by someone there for a purpose. Someone was after one of them. She for her mutation and her wild magic and he for being one of her mistakes? Or her guard. She felt the dog press against her side and she gasped when the centaur lunged at her. Numair leaped up suddenly and his jaws aimed for centaur's throat. The centaur roared in anger and lifted an arm to block the oncoming canine and Numair's jaws instead closed on the centaur's arm. Silvery acidic blood leaked into the dogs mouth but he bit down even harder. The centaur swung him arm, trying to shake the canine off. He bashed him against a tree but he held on harder.

Numair dug his claws into the centaurs arms and the centaur attempted to throw him off, thrashing his front hooves as he reared. Zeyla, panicking, ran forward with a mighty yell that she'd never know the origin of. She swept across her reach with the blade, then thrust forward and dragging up. She had gutted the Centaur and with a yell of defiance he bashed the dog against a rock, sending him tumbling with a yelp. The centaur, weak and stumbling, tried to rush her and he reared to kick her and she gutted that belly too. He fell, uttering a long baying call as he died.

Zeyla's stomach churned and she turned away from the smell of blood, searching with her mind for Numair. She ran in his direction until she stumbled over him. "Numair.." she whispered tearfully. "Hey Boy.." she heard when he whined softly. She ran her hands down his side and felt an indentation on his rib cage and realized his ribs were broken. She growled softly in anger at the creature that had just vanished in a glistening cloud of gold. "Good Boy.." she said softly.

She reached into herself and found the root of her abilities. She held her hands over him and he too began to glow. She started to heal his ribs and little did she know, his mind. He regained his memory of who he was, and he felt the bones knitting together. "Arram?" she said softly, the name suddenly passing through her mind. Suddenly, his eyes widened and he yelped, his body began to shift, the bones fully mended, and where fur had been, she felt bare skin beneath her fingers. "Oh goddess." she whispered, stepping back, stumbling. She had exerted herself so much however, that the shock, caused her to faint.

Numair; http://i88. 


End file.
